The present invention relates to an improved tool which is adapted to rotatably drive a work piece into an auxillary hand grip which permits operation of the tool with greater comfort and mechanical advantage. More particularly, the present invention is constructed as an improved speed wrench which operates through a ratchet mechanism having an output or drive shaft that receives a tool element, such as a socket or other rotatable tool, in order to rotatably drive a work piece.
Numerous tools adapted to rotatably drive a work piece, such as screws, bolts, nuts and the like, have been developed in the past. These prior art tools include the common screwdrivers, wrenches, nut drivers, adjustable wrenches, socket wrenches, to name a few. Of particular interest to the present invention is the tool device known as a speed wrench wherein a reversible ratchet mechanism is carried within a generally cylindrical casing from which an output or drive shaft outwardly projects. A socket selected from a socket set having various socket openings sized to receive differently dimensioned bolt heads or nuts is then removably secured on the drive shaft. The existing speed wrench tools are typically fairly small, hand held units which may be used to quickly tighten or loosen a bolt or nut, even in confined regions. However, due to the relatively small size, the user of a speed wrench often cannot tighten the bolt or nut to the desired torque since no lever arm or handle is formed on the speed wrench in order to get mechanical advantage. It is precisely this omission of a lever handle which distinguishes a speed wrench from the closely related ratchet wrench which is used with the same socket set. Accordingly, when the user of the speed wrench desires to rotatably drive a bolt or nut with substantial torque, the user removes the speed wrench and employs a second tool, such as a ratchet wrench, an adjustable wrench, or the like, constructed to give a mechanical advantage about the axis of rotation. Use of the auxillary tool requires that the speed wrench be removed from the work piece, after which the auxillary tool is registered with the work piece so that its drive head registers with and engages the work piece. This removal and engagement of an auxillary tool is often time consuming, and is especially difficult where access to the bolt head or nut is difficult.
Thus, even though speed wrenches and other rotatable tool devices are well known in the prior art, there remains a need for an improved tool which may be used to quickly tighten or loosen a bolt or nut, yet which may remain and act as a torque transfer member so that a second tool may be used to increase the mechanical advantage in applying torque around the rotation axis. There is further a need for such an improved tool, including an improved speed wrench, wherein a complementary hand grip may be employed both to facilitate use of the tool, increased comfort to the user and to increase the mechanical advantage which the user enjoys with the tool. There is further a need for such a hand grip which does not interfere with the application of even further increased mechanical advantage by means of an additional tool.